


The Right Time

by DeeChicagoFireFan



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: BFFP, Confessions, F/M, Heart-to-Heart, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26024353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeChicagoFireFan/pseuds/DeeChicagoFireFan
Summary: Matt and Sylvie realise something when they are on a call.Set in the beginning of season 9.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 14
Kudos: 92





	The Right Time

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, how are you doing?
> 
> It's Friyayyy! I think this is the last fic from me this week. Thank you all so much for reading, leaving kudos and commenting on all my fics ❤️ You guys are the best!
> 
> I had this idea when I saw the "First things first..." dialogue prompt.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it! Have a nice weekend 😊

Firehouse 51 arrives at a scene where a high rise office building has caught fire. The security guard of the building sighs in relief when he sees the fire trucks and informs them that there are people still trapped inside.

Casey and Boden are assessing the situation. A lot of people who have made it out of the building are standing and praying that the others make it out alive too. Severide and Cruz ask the people to back up a bit to make room for the firefighters to do their job.

Boden takes charge, "The fire looks like it originated in the 10th floor and is spreading to the floors above very quickly. The people who are trapped might be on that floor. We need to go up there and try to get as many people out as we can. Squad 3, do a primary search in the building, truck 81, mask up and go up to the 10th floor. I'll inform dispatch that we might need more ambulances and one more engine."

The firefighters obey his orders, gear up and head inside.

"Chief, there's a whole floor of people here. At least 20 people. Can you send in more men? We need help getting all these people out," Matt says over the radio.

Boden sends in more men, and calls for backup too.

"Medics, set up a triage on the other side of the street, till the other ambulances arrive. We have at least 20 victims who might need medical attention," Boden instructs them.

The victims start to come out one by one. Most of them have minor burns and smoke inhalation, so Sylvie and Lin get them on oxygen and treat the burns.

The fire is spreading quickly, and the firefighters are working as efficiently as they can. It isn't long before backup arrives, along with the other ambulances and they start helping out too.

While she is working, Sylvie tries to keep an eye on Matt. And he seems to know exactly where she is at all times too. They share a look each time he goes in, and she anxiously waits for him to walk out unharmed. That unsettling feeling only goes away when he comes out, and gives her a little nod, indicating that he's okay. While he's inside, the sound of his voice over the radio now and then, calms her nerves a little.

She knows they've been dancing around their feelings for a while now, neither of them acting on it. Always waiting for the right time, but the right time never seems to come around. Sylvie looks up at the tall building that is now engulfed in flames, and thinks about how Matt is in there risking his life. She suddenly wonders what she is waiting for. She needs to tell him how he feels, and the right time to do that is today, because tomorrow may or not come in their line of work. 

After a while, Boden asks everyone to come out because the fire is raging now, and they obey. Only Cruz is still inside doing a final sweep. Boden speaks up on the radio, "Cruz! Get out of there now. The building won't be stable for much longer."

Cruz replies, "Yes, chief I'm on my way. I'm getting the last person out, he's barely breathing though." Sylvie hears this and gets ready to receive the victim, and starts walking towards the building.

Matt is waiting at the entrance just in case Cruz needs help inside. But Cruz makes it out in time, and walks out the door with a man, who is leaning on him for support. He calls Sylvie, "Brett! This is our last guy, he needs oxygen now!"

Matt pats Cruz on the back, appreciating his work and then looks up at the burning building. It's literally falling apart now. He's about to call engine 51 to put out the fire when he sees the roof of the floor where the fire started, is caving in, making all the floors above it unstable. The windows and walls start to crumble, and the top part of the building tilts precariously.

Sylvie is making her way towards the entrance so that she can help the victim who is with Cruz, and take him to the triage area.

Matt sees a large portion of the wreckage that's on fire, breaking off and falling down. He looks down and sees Sylvie is walking right under it.

He pushes Cruz and the victim back, and starts to sprint as quickly as he can towards her. "Sylvie! Look out!" he shouts.

She stops at the sound of his voice and the next thing she knows, Matt throws himself on her, holds on to her tightly and dives across the pavement, and onto the street.

She's lying on her stomach, her arms stretched out in front of her. And Matt is on top of her, acting like a human shield. She then hears the loud thud of something falling behind her, and can feel the heat from the flames near her feet.

There is a rain of burning fragments that follows the big chunk, and most of them fall on Matt's turnout gear, but one lands on Sylvie's hand.

She hisses in pain, as it burns through her glove and Matt immediately brushes it off, and covers her hand with his.

He looks up to make sure that there's no more wreckage falling from the sky, and rolls over to help Sylvie up.

Once she is on her feet, she looks behind him and sees the wreckage on the pavement, still burning. She would have been a part of that wreckage, if Matt hadn't saved her.

Her eyes widen as she looks at Matt, who is looking at her, his brow furrowed. He brushes her hair out of her face, and places his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay? That was close!" Matt says, looking concerned.

Sylvie folds her arms around her body and tries to compose herself. She inhales sharply, and replies shakily as she breathes out, "Yeah. I think so." She pauses and remembers that she was about to take a victim from Cruz when this happened. "What happened to the man who was coming out? Is he okay?"

Matt can't believe that she just narrowly escaped death, but she's still worried about a victim. She really is the most kindest, most selfless person he knows, and he is impressed by her everyday.

"Don't worry about it. I think another medic is having a look at him. First things first, let's get your hand treated. It looks pretty bad," he says, taking the glove off her hand gently and examining the back of it.

Only when Matt mentions it, she starts to focus on the burn, that's now turning a bright red, and how much it actually stings.

But she knows there are other victims who need help right now, and need to be treated first, so she waves her hand dismissively, "It's fine, it's nothing."

Matt looks at her pointedly, and says softly, "Hey, your hands save lives, so I'm gonna make sure it's fine. Come on."

He leads her with his hand on her back, to one of the ambulances where a paramedic is placing some equipment back. Boden asks if they're okay, having witnessed Casey's heroics. They both say yes, and he nods in acknowledgement.

"You get that looked at, and I'm gonna go check on how engine is handling that fire," Matt tells Sylvie. He wants to stay and make sure she's okay. He almost lost her today and he can't bear the thought of something happening to her, but he needs to get back to his job.

As he turns around to leave, Sylvie grabs his hand. "Hey, thank you for saving my life," she says, smiling softly at him.

He gently places his hand on her shoulder. "Sure, anytime." He squeezes her shoulder and moves his hand up to cup her face. She closes her eyes and leans into his touch. He doesn't want to move, he just wants to hold her close, keep her safe and never let her go. But he really does have to check on the fire, so he decides that the next opportunity he gets, he's going to tell her how he feels about her. He knows better than anyone, that life is too short to simply wait around.

She slowly opens her eyes to look at him, and he can see his future in those pools of blue. He smiles, gives her a nod and walks back to the burning building, with a sense of purpose. The sooner they wrap up this call, the sooner he can tell Sylvie how he feels.

After Sylvie's hand is treated and bandaged, she and Lin drop off some patients at Med and return to the firehouse.

Truck and squad are already back, when ambo returns. Engine 51 still seems to be at the scene. Matt is waiting outside, pacing with his hands in his pockets. Okay, now is the time to talk to him, Sylvie thinks as she switches off the engine and hops down from the rig. Lin sees Casey, and knows he's probably there for Sylvie so she makes some excuse about needing to see Gallo and heads inside.

"Hey, did everything go okay at Med?" Matt asks. His heart is beating out of his chest and he is really eager to say whatever he needs to say, but he wants to start a proper conversation first, not just blurt it out.

"Yeah, the ER was packed. I hope everyone is going to be fine," she replies, running her hands through her hair. She is really tired and just wants to sink into her bed, but she has made up her mind to confess her feelings first. She knows she might lose her nerve later.

"Yeah, with a fire like that, it's a miracle there were no casualties on the scene," he says. He really wants to get to the point now. They both wait a beat, and start to talk at the same time. "There's something..." They stop and chuckle.

"Okay, you go first," Sylvie says smiling. She wonders if he is going to say the same thing that she's been wanting to say. She draws a breath in anticipation, and tells herself not to get her hopes up, unnecessarily. It could be about anything.

"When I saw that building falling apart and you were right under it, it made me realise that we are not promised tomorrow. I am not sure how you feel about me, but I thought you should know, that you are the most important person in my life right now, and I think I'm falling in love with you. Just the thought of losing you today, hurt me so much and I don't ever want to see that day, Sylvie," he says, looking into her eyes. He's feeling a little lighter, now that he has got that off his chest.

Oh my god, is this really happening? She feels elated. Sylvie can't help but smile and she's filled with warmth. "You have no idea how much you mean to me, Matt. I'm falling hard for you too. That fire today was intense, and everytime you walked into the building, I was so scared. I don't want to lose you either." The expression on her face is a little serious now, and he can see that she was worried about him, just like he was worried about her.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he says and pulls her in for a hug. She loops her arms around his torso and buries her face in his chest.

He feels relieved to be holding her in his arms, and kisses the top of her head, breathing in her scent. He really doesn't plan on letting go anytime soon. They stay like that, till engine returns and starts to back into the station. The bells go off, just as Hermann finishes parking. They hear him groan.

TRUCK 81, SQUAD 3, AMBULANCE 61. Motor vehicle accident, 79th and Western.

"Alright, that's you guys, I'm gonna hit the sack for a while," they hear him say as he heads inside.

Matt and Sylvie pull apart, but hold eachother's hands while interlocking their fingers, and sigh at the same time. They close their eyes and press their foreheads together for a moment before heading towards their rigs.

"Be careful out there," Matt says, extending his hand as much as he can before losing the grasp on her hand.

"You too!" Sylvie replies, and gets into the ambulance, feeling happier than she has felt in a long time.

The sirens turn on, and they ride off to save more lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated 🙂


End file.
